Phuket trials emergency alert system after earthquake failures
In the wake of the March 28 earthquake that rocked Thailand, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has swiftly rolled out a trial run of a new Cell Broadcast alert system in Phuket, aiming to overhaul the country’s emergency alert infrastructure.
During the trial, the system showed promising results on Android devices, providing real-time alerts without delays. However, Apple users are still left out in the cold as iOS devices remain unsupported. A response from Apple is expected within five days, and once final approval is granted, the system will be available on both platforms.
The earthquake exposed significant flaws in Thailand’s current emergency alert system, which relies on traditional SMS notifications.
These alerts were plagued by delays, with technical constraints such as recipient caps of just 200,000 and filtering issues causing widespread disruption. The high volume of mobile traffic during the quake made it even harder to deliver timely warnings to the public.
In response to the shortcomings, government officials have recognised the urgent need for a more reliable and direct communication tool. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has instructed relevant departments to expedite upgrades to the system.
The newly developed protocol streamlines the process, reducing the number of steps required to issue alerts. Key agencies such as the Meteorological Department and the Royal Irrigation Department will now have the authority to issue warnings directly, without the delays caused by previous layered approval processes.
The Cell Broadcast Center contract was signed on March 27, just one day before the earthquake hit, and its implementation has since been fast-tracked by an executive order. The full deployment of the system is scheduled for July, with operational testing set for next month, reported Pattaya Mail.
Despite the progress, the urgency of the project is palpable. As natural disasters remain unpredictable, the DDPM is racing against the clock to ensure that future emergency alerts reach every phone, every person, without the delays and technical limitations that hampered the response to the recent earthquake.
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